Vegetable cutter and trimmer.



PAT'ENTED JAN.,14, 1908. H. 5: M. RUFTY. VEGETABLE GUTTER AND TRIMMER.

APPLICATION FIZLED SEPT. 14, 1907.

QXJi in no 1n: NORRIS versus ca, WASHINGTON, o. c.

HENRY RUFTY {8ND MELVIN RUFTY, OF FREMONT, OHIO.

VEGETABLE CUTTER AND TRIMMER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Y Application filed September 14' 1907. Serial No. 392.906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY RUFTY and MELVIN RUFTY, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Fremont, in the county of Sandusky and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in VegetableCutters and Trimmers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates in general to a vegetable cutter and trimmer andparticularly to a device for severing the tops of growing beets from thebody thereof, cutting away all superfluous parts from a standing head ofcabbage and cutting the dressed head of cabbage from the growing stalk.

The main object of 'the invention is the production of a device of thecharacter described which, while formed of few parts simply constructed,shall be highly efficient in accom lishing the results desired andadapted to acilitate the rapid trimming and cutting of the vegetablesfor which it is specifically designed.

Another object is to provide a tool which in use tends to eliminate thedanger incident to the employment of the ordinary tools commonly usedfor dressing and cutting these vegetables and to enable the operator toperform his work while in a practically standing position.

With these objects in view, the invention will now be described in thefollowing specif fication,'reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part thereof, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a broken perspective of my improved cutterand trimmer. Fig. 2 is a broken, enlarged top plan of the device,showing the cutting blades in both closed and open position. Fig. 3 is atransverse section of the closed blades, taken on line 0c-ac of Fig. 2looking toward the points of the blades.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike parts throughout the several views, the invention comprises cuttingblades 1 and 2, the co-acting beveled edges 3 and 4 of which, near theirouter ends, are curved in the same direction for a purpose hereinafterdescribed, blade 2 underlying blade 1 when the blades are in closedposition, as shown in Fig. 2, blade 1 being beveled from the under sideand blade 2 from the upper side. The blades are formed with integral,similar bearing plates 5 and 6, bored to receive a pivot-bolt 7,designed to hold the blades in desired movable relation and permittingopening and closing thereof. are formed into attaching strips 8 an 9, ofsuch form and dimensions that they abut each other when the blades arein closed position and form stops to limit movement of the blades. Theseattaching strips are designed to be connected, through the medium ofremovable rivets 10 to a pair of upwardlyturned handle supports. 11 and12, the function of which is to receive and hold in appropriate-angledposition removable operating handles 13, provided with protectingferrules 14 and formed of any suitable material, length, and outline.The handle supports are so bent as to position the operating handles,when attached thereto, in such relative relation to the cutting bladesas to permit said handles to be readily grasped and operated by one in aconveniently-upright position. The particular function of the curvedcutting blade ends is to adapt the tool to cut the bunch of beet tops orcabbage stalk, which ever may be operated upon, at practically the sametime, on the farther side as on the side nearest the operator andwithout necessitating his deviating from a path lying between the rowsof cabbage or beets. The curved blade ends also permit the operator,when trimming cabbage, to easily reach all sides of the cabbage headwithout stooping, it being of course understood that the head of cabbagecan be entirely and effectively trimmed before the severance of saidhead from its stalk.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a vegetable cutterand trimmer which, while highly eflicient in accomplishing the purposesintended, is readily operated by one in an upright position, thuseliminating much loss of time and fatigue on the part of the operatoremploying usual methods and tools, such as an ordinary knife, and whichalso avoids the danger incident to the use of the latter implement, inthe employment of which for this purpose the hand holding the vegetableto be cut or trimmed is necessarily in cllose proximity to the cuttingedge of the too The rear ends of said bearing lates Having thusdescribed my invention, What its length and curved at the free end on aI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters curvature approximatelycorresponding to Patent, is the curvature at the free end 01" the otherA vegetable trimmer comprising ivotally blade. 15 5 connected blades,one of said bla es being In testimony whereof We have affixed our formedwith a concaved cutting edge, the signatures, in presence of tWoWitnesses. concavity of said edge adjacent the free end HENRY RUFTY. ofthe blade being on a curvature of less ra- MELVIN RUFTY. dius than thecurvature of the remainder of Witnesses: 10 said edge, the cutting edgeof the remaining BYRON W. GRovER,

blade being straight for the greater portion of BYRQN A. FoUcHE.

